THE KING’S BUSINESS
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SAVES FROM DOOM £ The first thing that strikes one to say is this, that salvation; then, (that night) taking it in its narrow meaning—though always when I speak o f our own circum stances, remember that I speak o f salva tion in its full-orbed meaning—salvation then and now is from impending doom. Let us revive that essential idea of our most holy faith in all our hearts and minds. The times greatly need it. Salvation then was, and salvation now is, let me repeat it, from impending doom. As there hung over Egypt that night the awful threat o f God’s descending wrath, so let my soul and yours never forget there hangs over this city the threat o f impending vengeance. It has always been there. Nothing has ever been able to take that black cloud out o f the sky; and as the times go on, methinks it gets not less black, but rather does it not look as if the world’s dark night were thickening? Salvation from impending doom,. And just because o f that, a motive which worked that night ugon the hearts o f Israelites, and ought to work upon our hearts now, was, and should be, the element and moving principle o f fear. When I speak o f impending doom, and then, when I say that out o f that ought to come the urgent motive of fear, I know that naturally our hearts kick against that, and yet we must not shun to declare the whole counsel of God. My dear hearer, whether we like if or do not like it— whether we ¿ear it or whether we forbear —such are the facts o f revelation, and they receive their most powerful illustration in the Cross o f Calvary, on which hung the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me reassert this: let me iterate and reiter ate it—that fear is a legitimate motive in salvation. Perhaps the Israelites on that occasion were immediately drawn by lov ing obedience to obey what God had spoken. If so, they were different from you and me. If so, they were very much different from what they were on subsequent occa sions; and I rather think that while some temperaments would . just quietly and
unquestioningly yield whenever MoSes declared the mind and heart o f God. as to what was coming o f doom, and as to how salvation was to be secured, others would quéstion; others would be reluctant; others would be very like ourselves. But we do hope that, no matter how they felt, they had sense enough, whether drawn by love or driven by fear, to sprinkle that blood and get in under its shelter in time, and stay there. So I say I stand not only on revelation; I stand on reason and com mon sense when I say if you have any glimmering o f faith in God’s Word at all —if you have any illumination o f a natural kind to perceive that this world demands a tim e'of doom and judgment—demands it, and will get it—-then betake you as swiftly -as you m ay'to the one great refuge and shelter, while still the day o f righteous wrath and revelation o f God’s judgment is withheld, and still the door o f merty stands wide open to the wall. Ah, yes, it is said to be unphilosophical : and men say, and they get others to write it for them in very -grand and seemingly philosophical speech—that if you do not draw men with love, you will never drive them by fear. I do not believe a bit o f it. It is not phi losophy at bottom ; it is sheer nonsense. Men are moved by fear every day. I Why did you go' and insure your house last w eek ?' Was it through fear? Why did you insure your life last week, even though thé doctor told you there was noth ing wrong with you? Was it not fear? MOVED BY FEAR Grand men, large broad-browed men,, are men who are moved by fear. Methinks Noah was a grand, brôad-browed man, and, “ Noah, moved by fear, prepared him an ark for the saving o f his house.” So never go away and boast, my friend, that you have such a big intellect that fear will not move you. You are simply declaring to all peo ple who know, what a shrivelled up creature you are. | Now I should like to say further, re-stat- ing some simple, but essential elements of Gospel revelation regarding sin and salva-
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